Not bashing 3500's, but......

[TiredGXP]

I've had a 2008 Impala rental car with a 3500 under the hood and about 50,000 km on it for a couple of days. What a gutless pig. This damn thing can't manage to light up the tires when they're wet. 0-60 time can best be described as......eventually. The car probably weighs in near 3,500 lb, but still....

Maybe the slightly modified LS4 in my GP GXP has skewed my perceptions, but I expected better performance from an engine that's supposed to produce 200 hp.

[mfuller]

I think that Impalas also got a ridiculouly high FDR.....something like 2.86, which does not make for good holeshots.

[1988GTU]

I will agree, but you have to also remember that.... IF you could sit there and reflash that PCM and TCM, you'll wake it up quite a bit.

[TiredGXP]

The gearing probably explains it. First gear sure isn't a "stump puller"

[OldSkoolGP]

Not to mention it could have some passive traction control and abuse mode setting in the ECM keeping you from using the full power.

[Superdave]

they're tuned to keep people from abusing them. my '06 Trailblazer is the same way. GM is offering better warranties because of this.


my 3500 has no problem spinning the tires.

[SappySE107]

The VVT 3500 is a 3900 with a 2.8 crank, so there goes the torque. I am sure tuning would help, and FDR, but its still not the greatest setup for a 3500 pound vehicle. The 3.69 FDR 3900 in the convertible G6 has some torque. Heavy car, but it moves decent (not amazing) and sucks the gas. The intake port is a big 3400 and the exhaust is almost the same as a non vvt 3500.

[Joseph Upson]

Rental car with an electric throttlebody, think anti abuse tuning. The computer determines how much throttle the engine actually gets no matter what you do with the pedal and the short stroke likely has little to do with it thanks to VVT which gives the engine a lot more bottom end torque than the same engine with conventional camshaft design could muster. I experienced impressive acceleration in a 2.5L VVT motor in an AWD Toyota Rav4, it was down right impressive. Otherwise the gearing is probably a big part of the problem as was mentioned also.

[Barry]

You cant even neutral drop those, it just slides into gear smoothly.

My uncle rented a g6 with a 3500. It didnt pull very hard either but didnt seem as bad as you say. Maybe the g6gt got a better fdr than the malibu.

Its an 08? Wouldnt that be a vvt anyway?

[asylummotorsports]

I have a G6 vert with the 3900 VVT and while it certainly wouldn't be considered fast by any measurement, it can do the job, and YA! it's a pig on gas!!

The 3500 in my Beretta is basically untouched, and it's not too shabby.

[IsaacHayes]

I thought the new impalas were close to 3800 lbs...

[gpse3400]

It also has a really low stall on the converter..I wanna say 1500 rpm....

[TiredGXP]

Yeah, I had a second rental a couple of days later. Had about 15,000 fewer km on it and somewhat better acceleration, but still couldn't break the tires loose.

The torque converter seemed to stall at about 1500. Really tall gearing too - it shifted out of first gear at 92 kmh at about 6300 rpm, which is ridiculous.

[no_doz]

i had a similar problem with a 96 3100 lumina, even with trying to WOT neutral drop it (i was trying to tear it up) the rev limiter & traction control wouldnt even allow me to spin the tires! thats all tuning & weight

[TiredGXP]

i had a similar problem with a 96 3100 lumina, even with trying to WOT neutral drop it (i was trying to tear it up) the rev limiter & traction control wouldnt even allow me to spin the tires! thats all tuning & weight

This isn't my GXP, but this is what I've grown used to over the past 4 years. Neutral drops are not required:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1WIEo9rof0